I haven't started a new thread for months if not years, so please go easy on me, vets and new fans

I have seen growing impatience on the board, driven by disappointment, frustration, or even anger to certain degree. I wonder why. Were you as upset that you didn't win that 500 million power ball ticket? Will you be this frustrated that you are not promoted to CEO of a fortune 100 company? I guess not. Most of us are far more reasonable in real life than we are at online forums.

What was your expectation of this team before the season started? Remember we talked about how tanking was the right thing to do? Remember we agreed that we need to go through the necessary pain to build a young competitive team, so that they can grow together and eventually win together? Remember we agreed that McHale as one of the greatest PFs ever played the game was relatively inexperienced as head coach?

What happened to that expectation, after 20 games into the season? All of the sudden that we are supposed to be a contender? I know you want your team to be competitive, and anyone can beat anyone in NBA occasionally. But what was your real expectation? What has changed? Was it the signing of James Harden, who has proven his offensive ability, and has yet to be developed into a two-way player and make his teammates much better, as a real leader? Or was it the signing of Jeremy Lin, who's literally still a rookie, and we wish he could play at Linsanity height every game?

Honestly, this young team has far exceeded my expectation. As THE youngest team of the league, they don't suck at all. They are average and showing a lot of potentials. I was so worried about offense in the beginning, coz only Harden is a proven offensive threat, and I was afraid that it might be worse than Yao-Mac team. But no, we are actually ranked No. 3 in offensive output. Scoring was never a problem for us, and we go above 100 without really trying, that's even with Lin who hasn't figured out the balance and found his shots, and Asik who wasn't known for offensive game, in the starting lineup. That was a big surprise for me. I know we suck at defense, and that's what I expect from a young team, for they are lacking discipline and experience.

I don't know about you, but lots of my predictions have been off. I predicted Harden wouldn't have gone to FT line that easily as he did in last year's playoffs, hence not necessarily worth the max. But I was proven wrong, James has proven he's a real star, and a consistent offensive threat, even when his shots are off.

I predicted that Asik was a great pickup for defense, especially for rebounding, but he would be a huge offensive liability, aka Chuck Hayes. But on the contrary, Asik has been improving almost game by game, puts up double double regularly, and even 20-10 occasionally.

I was afraid that Lin might not be able to handle the pressure with that big contract, but as much as he's struggling with his shots, he still showed flashes of what he can do, and he's been improving defensively.

I didn't expect Parsons to show an array of offensive moves, all of the sudden, and knock down shots calmly and regularly, acting as one of the most consistent offensive weapons on the team.

I didn't see Greg Smith would come out of nowhere, and play so smart and effectively around the rim to finish. And I didn't expect TG to be able to play quality minutes as a real backup PG.

Here we are, after 20 games, still floating around the 500 mark. In the process, we have beaten quality teams, and showed we can score against any team. Yes, there are so many more areas to work on. Just to name a few, Harden plays better defense and makes others better; Lin knows when to shoot and shoots better (it's a shame that opposing teams leave you wide open as a PG); Asik finishes stronger in the paint; Patterson puts more effort into rebounding and defense. But that being said, shouldn't this be even more pleasant? Because those are certainly achievable goals, it's not like asking Yao to jump as Amare.

The youngest team playing better than my expectation, while improving everyday, that's a big positive for me. Sure, at game nights, I will still be upset about blown assignments, missed opportunities, and bad decisions by players and coaches, but that's not reason to put down the whole team. Can anyone honestly say that the players are not trying? Can anyone say that's the best they will ever get? If the answer is no, then where does the hourly disappointment come from and what was your real expectation to start with?

Please give them more time to improve, and give yourself more time to enjoy them in the process and enjoy them as a whole group.

btw i found that, as with the most things in life, people are addicted to certain patterns of behaviors and emotions...someone who is bitching whining and complaining addict will always find reason to bitch whine and complain and that has nothing to do with wins or losses...:grin:

...I know we suck at defense, and that's what I expect from a young team, for they are lacking discipline and experience...

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You make some good points however every now n then their D Can Be Solid. If the Rockets want to make the Playoffs, they will need to Consistently play with more Effort, Discipline, Intelligence, Focus, etc. on both ends of the court Especially on the Road...

And as usual, the good thread/post has always received minimum responses.
Try to create a bashing thread, then you will get 50++ pages of reply in return.
Conclusion is too many troll in this neighborhood :grin:

And as usual, the good thread/post has always received minimum responses.
Try to create a bashing thread, then you will get 50++ pages of reply in return.Conclusion is too many troll in this neighborhood :grin:

Click to expand...

I do not think that conclusion needs a grin. You do not have to be self deprecating to reach that conclusion.

It is exciting to see them outperforming. As I wrote the piece, I was really surprised myself as well - so many better than expected positives! And yet we keep on pounding the same negatives every day. What a pity!

It's unfair to the team, young players, and to us fans ourselves. We could/should easily have had more fun.

Here is to the easy and sweet win against the Knicks. Hopefully they continue to build on the nice balance and become more consistent.

We have won one playoff series in the past 15 games. No one talks about them. Very few people watch them. The games are half empty the times I have been there. Most people aren't impatient they just don't care.

We have won one playoff series in the past 15 years. No one talks about them. Very few people watch them. The games are half empty the times I have been there. Most people aren't impatient they just don't care.

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